Actually childbirth is only medicalized in the US, in Europe (generally) and the UK, it's still encouraged that if you have a low risk pregnancy your safest bet is to birth at home with a midwife. But US hospitals get dollar signs in their eyes at the thought of all they can milk out of a birth in terms of costs, so Americans are lied to and told it's "safest" to give birth in a hospital, when US hospitals are actually pretty dangerous places to give birth in terms of maternal and fetal mortality rates. Also, if they can get you into a hospital, they can pump you full of drugs you dont need (but they'll tell you are essential for the safety of your baby, because what mother is going to put their baby at risk?) that make it so much more likely you will need a c-section, then they get even MORE money, from the costs of surgery. Seriously, im going off on one here but birth in America is alllll about how much money they can get out of you/ your insurance, and nothing to do with keeping you or your baby safe.
I knew someone who looked at her itemized bill from her (uncomplicated, no medical emergencies, straightforward vaginal) birth and found out she was billed for things like a surgeon being on call, even though they werent needed, but technically they COULD have been, therefore it was billed. She was billed time for the RN's feeding her baby for her which never happened because she breastfed, all kinds of shit. I think one dose of Motrin was billed at like $50, and they were giving it to her every 6 hours, so she could have saved herself like $350 and just brought in a $4 bottle of generic ibuprofen from home. Anyway, i'll stop sperging now.